At sea can be a beautiful and ferocious place to find yourself – alone and together.

Growing up in inland Australia, Judy, a young teacher, has rarely seen the sea. But when she flees a rioting classroom one dismal Friday, a dud and a failure, she gets drunk and wakes up on a boat. Overnight her life changes; she is in love with being on the water and in love with Wes Bannister who lives on the boat. Sailing was not something Judy had ever thought about wanting, but now she craves it. Wind is the best teacher she’s had, by far …
From then on, Judy believes that the one trusted continuation of herself is with Wes, and always will be, but then events at sea challenge their closeness. Must they become competitors against each other in the push to be equals? It seems they must.
A Sea-Chase is a novel that vividly tracks ambition, self-realisation and lasting love tied up in a sea story. The idea that nobody who sets off to do something alone, without family, friends, rivals and a pressing duty to the world, ever does so alone, finds beautiful, dramatic expression in Roger McDonald's tenth, and most surprising novel.

'When McDonald puts out to sea, so to speak, he is in splendid form, at his most engaged and brilliant.'Australian Book Review

'A Sea-Chase will satisfy landlubbers and boaties alike with nautical jargon and poetic ocean scenes, though it's McDonald's unexpected turns of phrase that set him apart..'The Sydney Morning Herald

'... imbued with evocative details of boatbuilding and shipwrecks, the caprices and perils of the sea (of which the greatest is land) and the cost of sailing for people who turn it into an obsession.'The Australian